Magic Not Needed to Bring about Change

Yesterday I wrote about Nelson Mandela's group of Elders and the work they have taken on to bring about global change. Today, serendipitiously I came across a commencement address J. K. Rowling gave to Harvard graduates two years ago.  She reminsced about her own graduation speaker.  At least she remembered the name of her speaker.  I'm still trying to remember mine.  Where was someone like Rowling when I and others of my age most needed her ideas?  Rowling's talk, "The Benefits of Failure," was about how the responsibility of dealing with failure and capturing our imagination lies within each of us.  She spoke of how important empathy is and how as humans we have the capability to begin to understand lives we have never shared.  Much of what she spoke of came from her years at working for Amnesty International - years that undoubtedly she holds dear and cherishes as part of her own learning experience.  The essence of her talk can be summed up in a few words: there is no need for magic to change the world.  We just need imagination to get us started.

I found listening to this speech a privilege and a genuine call to action.  I hope you find it likewise.